ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on July 17, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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WE ARE RE-OPENING KURIS FILE FIVE YEARS LATER
It was revealed that Konca Kuris, who was an Islamist feminist writer and whose dead body was found in a house belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah organization, was kidnapped by the militant whose mother's treatment Kuris helped. Zuheyir Timur, a militant of the terrorist organization Hezbollah who kidnapped Kuris together with three armed militants on July 17, 1998, explained the unbelievable unjust behaviors after he was captured. In his testimony, Timur said, ''Kuris had helped me with my mother's treatment so, I didn't want to kidnap her. But, I had to when the organization forced me.''
CIGARETTE BUTT BURNS BODRUM
Mugla Governor Huseyin Aksoy announced that fire which burnt 50 hectares of forest in Konacik region of western Bodrum town was caused by a cigarette butt thrown in the forested area while still burning. Yilmaz Sagir, who is accused of throwing the cigarette butt, has been arrested. Sagir had caused fire last month and he has been being tried on charges of that.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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UNITED STATES CAN'T PUT FORWARD EVIDENCE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is telling about the ''crisis'' between Turkey and the United States. Gul says that the United States cannot find any evidence regarding the claims in Sulaymaniyah. It is the opinion of majority of people that the joint statement about the Sulaymaniyah scandal has not met expectation of the public opinion. The U.S. side verbally states in bilateral talks that it was faulty and acted wrongly but it does not want this to be noted down in the joint statement. It is certain that the U.S. administration refrains from recurrence of the situation it has been facing in recent days as many claims are proved to be baseless. Gul told columnist Fikret Bila in their yesterday's meeting that ''it was not Turkey which was ashamed of this incident.'' Gul said, ''they can't put forward any evidence regarding the claims.'' Thus, Gul indirectly stated that it was the United States who should be ashamed of the incidents that occurred between the two countries in the north of Iraq.
GOOD NEWS TO IMAR-SURVIVORS
Depositors of the Imar Bankasi who met with Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) officials said that the payment would start the following week the latest. The payment of money deposited in the bank will be made by comparing the account books with the accounts in the branches. The foreign exchange accounts of people will be paid back to customers in Turkish lira (TL) by calculating them according to the rate of foreign exchange on July 3.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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WHO GAINED WHAT ''THAT NIGHT?''
A total of 21 banks, which bought 5 billion U.S. dollars on the night of the ''crisis which occurred after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting in 2001 in which an argument took place between President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit'', recorded 1.5 billion U.S. dollars of profit with 40 percent of devaluation. SABAH daily which reveals the two-year secret of the February 2001 crisis is announcing the profits of 21 banks at one night. 1.5 billion U.S. dollars of profit of the banks is equal to one-third of total assets. Citibank made the highest dollar purchase from the Central Bank after the crisis that occurred on February 19, 2001. Citibank bought 1 billion 63 million U.S. dollars. The bank gained 304 million U.S. dollars with the February 21 devaluation. The five Turkish banks which made the highest profit as dollar climbed from 630 thousand to 963 thousand Turkish lira due to devaluation were Kocbank, TEB, Yapi Kredi Bankasi, Osmanli Bankasi and Disbank. Total profit of 14 Turkish banks reached 700 million U.S. dollars.
PRIMARY SURPLUS REACHES 10 QUADRILLION TL
Consolidated budget recorded a primary surplus of 10 quadrillion Turkish liras (TL) in the first half of this year. According to figures of the Finance Ministry, half of the foreseen year-end primary surplus of 20.2 quadrillion TL was reached in the first half. In this period, the budgetary deficit reached 24.7 quadrillion TL which is equal to 54 percent of the estimations. Earlier, the year-end budgetary deficit was estimated as 45.1 quadrillion TL.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ALSO MINISTERS SHOULD BE TRIED
In its report submitted to the Office of Parliament Speaker a short time ago, the Parliamentary Commission to investigate corruption demanded amendment to Article 100 of the Constitution and asked that path of trial should be opened for former prime ministers and ministers. In the report, it was emphasized that the article caused ''acquittal without judgment'' or ''execution without judgment'' and hurt the conscience of public opinion. The report asked crimes of corruption to be excluded from the scope of amnesty laws.
PACKAGE OF RISE IN PRICES NOT A PACKAGE OF MEASURES
According to measures expected to bring an income of 200 trillion Turkish liras (TL) listed in the new package, special transaction taxes and share of contribution to education will be increased between 25 and 100 percent. The Prime Minister signed the decree regarding the issue. In accordance with the new arrangement, mobile phone subscribers will pay 7 million Turkish liras (TL) instead of 5 million TL to contribute to education and 16 million TL instead of 10 million as special transaction tax.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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RUMSFELD: ''WE DID NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE''
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on behalf of President George W. Bush, said that ''U.S. forces in the region staged that action without informing anybody since intelligence, the timing of which was sensitive, had been conveyed to them.'' He stated that ''they did not give any information to Turkey since they did not have any knowledge about the raid on Turkish soldiers.'' Rumsfeld noted that ''such incidents would not shake friendship of two countries.''
CONTROL TO SOLDIERS
The government is taking monetary affairs of all state institutions including the Office of General Staff under the control of the parliament. The Government Accounting Bureau can also intervene in supervision. The government included the principle of ''transparency'' in the seventh adjustment package. The package sent to the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Office of General Staff to learn their views abolishes all arrangements which do not permit supervision of some institutions with high budgets, including the National Defense Ministry and Defense Industry Undersecretariat. Here are foreseen changes in National Security Council (NSC): The condition that the secretary general should be appointed from soldiers will no more be valid. The prime minister will have a say on nomination of the secretary. The meetings will be held once in two months. Excluding commanders from the NSC and other issues which required constitutional amendment have been delayed.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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''COME TO MARAS''
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas, who cornered the Greek Cypriots by proposing to open Maras which has been closed for 30 years, said, ''if the Greek Cypriots return our proposal, we plan to open here to Turks and the Greek Cypriots. A Greek Cypriot can come, find and repair a building and sit here if he wants. This place can't be closed forever.''
INTEREST RATES REDUCED BY THREE POINTS
The Central Bank made a surprise statement and reduced the overnight interest rates to 35 percent and the interest rate on loans to 41 percent. Other banks also reduced interest rates following the Central Bank.
RETURN TO HOME BECOMING DEFINITE
The draft ''Reassociation Law'' prepared for terrorists was adopted by the Parliamentary Internal Affairs Commission and submitted to the Justice Commission.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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GONUL TO RESPOND TO LETTER SENT BY RUMSFELD TO ERDOGAN
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld expressed regret over the raid of U.S. forces on Turkish soldiers in Sulaymaniyah in the letter he sent to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is stated that the letter should have been written by President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney in line with diplomatic rules, but that Rumsfeld might have intervened in that effort since the discussions were military-based. It is noted that the response to the letter will be given by National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul instead of Erdogan. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who gave information about content of the letter, said that the content was not like it had been reflected to the public opinion and stated that ''it mentioned the strategic importance of Turkish-U.S. relations and respect to Turkish soldiers.''
IMF LISTENS TO TRADESMEN FOR FIRST TIME
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Turkey Desk Chief Reza Moghadam listened to problems of tradesmen in Ankara upon the request of State Minister Ali Babacan. This was the first time that IMF delegation listened to problems of the tradesmen. The delegation which continues fifth review in Ankara visited Food and Additives Wholesalers Site (GIMAT). Moghadam, IMF Representative to Turkey Odd Per Brekk and some IMF experts, together with Babacan, visited five workplaces in GIMAT and listened to complaints of the tradesmen about rate of exchange, tax rates, and unregistered economy.
(BRC-AÖ) 17.07.2003